Chapter 2706: The Light-Chaser Walks Toward the Light

Once he had a goal and a plan, his heart cleared up.

Whether it was him, or the Red General and He Lingchuan, they had always left the most difficult battles and the most troublesome enemies to themselves.

Men like these were destined to shoulder heavy burdens that others could not bear.

He turned to He Lingchuan: "Let us discuss the battle arrangements for the Wasteland."

"The sniping battle in the southern Wasteland must naturally be fought with all our might, but should the defense line fall and the Between Between Between Beijia army invade the southern Wasteland, I estimate that Kuangjiao Town, Miaoshan, and Bailiao — these three places — will become the strategic points Between Between Between Beijia must contend for." He Lingchuan tapped three times on the southern Wasteland on the sand table, precisely forming a triangle. "Miaoshan is a rare high mountain in the southern Wasteland; the enemy will seize the commanding heights. Kuangjiao Town is our major transport hub and southern nexus; Between Between Between Beijia will not let it go. Bailiao is the three-way confluence of rivers and lakes; once they seize it, boat travel in any direction becomes convenient, and they can also threaten the many large cities to the north."

Wen Daolun also said: "Even if the enemy forces invading from the south rush into the Wasteland, they will not flood everywhere like a deluge. After all, this is Panlong's territory; their forces are too scattered and chaotic, making them easy for us to counter-encircle. Even if they want to win with numbers, sweeping through like locusts, in the end most of them will likely be forced back to these three locations."

The Wasteland is not a plain, after all; it is full of hills, thickets, and shrubs. For Between Between Between Beijia to advance here, they must carefully plan their routes; it is impossible for them to simply attack at will.

As long as the enemy intends to plan, there will be traces to follow.

"These three places support each other like the horns of a stag; we will use them as strongholds, clear the fields and fortify the walls, and engage Between Between Between Beijia within a hundred li of the surroundings." Zhong Shengguang's face was frosty. "And should Longhou Pass be breached, another Between Between Between Beijia army will invade the Wasteland from east to west; we must intercept the enemy at Hebi and Baizhang Pass..."

For the next two hours, the four of them discussed strategy.

The core was just twelve characters:

Fight tenaciously, retreat in order, hold the heartland.

When to fight to the death, when to retreat — there was great nuance to it all;

Zhong Shengguang would not be so arrogant as to think he could hold all territory, so he had to study how to evacuate the military and civilians, how to shrink the defensive perimeter to increase defensive strength, and so on.

Finally he took a deep breath:

"The autumn harvest has already ended; it is time to let Between Between Between Beijia taste just how miserable the Wasteland's autumn and winter can be."

After the spiritual Qi revival, the four seasons of the Panlong Wasteland became even more distinct — however hot the summer, that cold the winter. Two years ago, elderly Wasteland elephants still froze to death on the Gobi flats.

"The Red General's interdiction of the enemy rear will take at least a month before results manifest." However strong the Red General, her manpower was limited after all, the Maore Plain was vast, and Between Between Between Beijia's supply lines were not just one.

Only once the news of this red plague god rampaging across the Maore Plain spreads will Between Between Between Beijia's logistics truly be affected.

"Waiting for this impact to transmit to the Between Between Between Beijia front lines will take another one and a half to two months or so." He Lingchuan summed up. "That is to say, we must withstand the Between Between Between Beijia army's all-out offensive for at least three to four months or more. Only when Between Between Between Beijia's logistical chaos seriously affects the front-line army's combat power will the pressure we bear have a chance to ease."

"During this time, Panlong will support with all its might, even if it means exhausting everything."

These words of Zhong Shengguang were a solemn promise, and also signified that Panlong was about to enter the most cruel, most tragic, most bloody period of war since its founding.

All four present understood clearly: Zhong Shengguang agreeing to the Tiger Wing General's proposal was to launch a desperate gamble.

They were betting the Red General could successfully disrupt Between Between Between Beijia's rear and cut off Between Between Between Beijia's supply lines;

Once the Red General failed or was captured, they would have lost the bet.

They also had to bet that Panlong could hold off the Between Between Between Beijia army's all-out offensive on the Wasteland for the next three months, at minimum holding the core heartland.

If the Between Between Between Beijia army broke through the inner defensive circle and pressed toward Panlong City, they would have lost the bet.

Both the rear battle and the front-line battle were hell-level difficulty, but Panlong could not afford to lose on either side.

Often, war can only be a do-or-die gamble, especially when the opponent is far stronger than you.

This is called staking the small to win the big.

Once failed, it is like feeding a meat bun to a dog — gone for good.

"Our short-term goal is to hold out until Between Between Between Beijia's logistics are in chaos and front-line strength declines, then we can switch from defense to offense; the long-term goal is to persist, waiting for the 'Qinchang' secret medicine formula incident to throw Between Between Between Beijia's interior into chaos. Perhaps only then will Panlong's crisis have hope of being truly resolved." Zhong Shengguang's eyes blazed. "The road is long and obstructed; we must work as one!"

The Empire's Twin Stars both assented with grave faces.

Zhong Shengguang's gaze toward He Lingchuan was full of relief: "I knew it — once you awakened, Panlong would surely welcome a brand new atmosphere."

He Lingchuan held his head high: "Ten-odd years sharpening the sword, all for this morning — how could I possibly be absent?"

The three-person short meeting ended here; Zhong Shengguang was the first to wrap up and leave.

The Red General then asked He Lingchuan: "Your strategy is overly bold; how did you know His Majesty would certainly agree?"

"Not necessarily." He Lingchuan shrugged, feigning ease. "I merely proposed it; I'm not certain His Majesty would definitely adopt it."

But in his heart he knew very well the Red General was right. Although his strategy was bold and risky, Zhong Shengguang would inevitably adopt it.

Because Panlong truly had no way out left.

Panlong and the later Shen State both faced the same powerful enemy. However dire Shen State's straits against Between Between Between Beijia, Panlong's were magnified tenfold.

The Heavenly God already knew the Great Fanghu's whereabouts and would show Panlong no more mercy. And once Between Between Between Beijia went all out against Panlong — merely "all out," not yet "at any cost" — Panlong could not survive.

The two countries' territory, population, scale, and overall strength were not even in the same dimension. So even with Zhong Shengguang's iron will, facing Between Between Between Beijia's plan to exterminate Panlong, he felt deeply powerless.

The strategy He Lingchuan proposed was a huge gamble — one wrong move and the whole game is lost — but it was also the only glimmer of a breakthrough Zhong Shengguang had seen so far.

When a man walks long in the darkness of despair, even the faintest glimmer ahead makes him willing to chase it with all his might.

The opponent is not even in the same league; Panlong can only attempt to stake the small for the big, to take desperate risks.

So He Lingchuan was certain Zhong Shengguang would agree, because from the Nine Nether Great Emperor's perspective, this was Panlong's only way out.

The Nine Nether Great Emperor thought so; Zhong Shengguang had even less reason to refuse.

In this strategy, the Red General was instead the one with the most relaxed mindset. The rear battle was extremely dangerous, but she only needed to let loose and display her talents; she need not overthink anything else.

And the hard-gathered "Empire's Twin Stars" were split apart. Facing the Between Between Between Beijia army invading the Wasteland, He Lingchuan, as Panlong's commander-in-chief, had to command the whole picture with no room for error.

But in the Panlong world he was still just the "Commander" — he could still fully wield authority and direct battles with a smile.

The true pressure was all placed on Zhong Shengguang.